These are quite literally the books that have been piling up on my bedside table for the past few months. At one point in my life I experimented with what could be called “sequential selection;” in other words, I would choose the next book I would read based on a reference in the book I was currently reading. So if, for example I was reading, “The Sun Also rRses,” my next book might have something to do with bullfighting. Or impotency.
But there was no such “Invisible thread,” to this current grouping. In fact they could have been drawn out of a grabbag. With the exception of “Night Train,”and “Active Hope,” they were given to me for Christmas.
I just finished “Night Train,” and in spite of having four other unfinished books on my table I took it out of the library; I’m a sucker for Martin Amis.
My daughter gave me “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” after we discussed how much we liked “The Circle,” also by Dave Eggers.
The next two books make an interesting pair: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,” by Mark Manson and “Active Hope,” by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, subtitled, “How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy.”
I just started reading the last book on my table last night: “The Best American nonrequired reading, 2017” edited by Sarah Vowell. Vowell worked with a group of high school students in the San Francisco area, compiling this anthology of fiction, nonfiction, essays, poetry, comics and even a song. All I can say is, between these kids and the millennials at Parkland High School, we’re going to be alright.
Want to share what you’re reading? Send a snap of your bedside table and a few sentences about what’s on it, what you’re reading, and why you like or don’t like it. While we hope you will show us your bed table as is without straightening them up, please note this is a family publication so before snapping your photo, we encourage you to remove anything . . . erotic . . . other than, perhaps, those lines found in the books you may be reading. Email photo and descriptions to kate@mvtimes.com.